Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti is the Archbishop of Perugia (Italy) and, since May 2017, the President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference. He recently intervened in the public debate on family policies, with an article in the Weekly Magazine of L’Osservatore Romano. In his article, he states that the link between family and work is a central topic for Italy of today and of tomorrow. Facing the numerous challenges for young people today, the moment has come to rethink the organization of work in a family-friendly manner: “An efficient work organisation for the economy and which is especially able to provide the most valuable asset for today’s families: time”.
FAFCE Secretary General, Maria Hildingsson, welcomes these statements, highlighting that these words are valid not only for Italy but for most European Countries: “Looking at the statistics, we see for example how importantly parents consider flexible working hours and schedules, that give them the possibility to spend more time with their children, while respecting their social rights”. A recent survey shows that in Belgium, for example, 3 of 4 workers would refuse a job without flexibility.
Cardinal Bassetti goes beyond the complex issue of working-time policies, saying that “What is urgently needed for Italy, are not just family policies, but a radical change of perspective. Definitely, a real cultural revolution: a family-centered revolution”.
Maria Hildingsson states that “During the past 20 years FAFCE has been advocating in favour of this family-centered revolution in Brussels and Strasbourg: we hope that all Member States will start to become aware of this urgency, as the future of the mankind passes through the family”.
